18th-century gold coins worth ₹1.30 crore seized by Pimpri-Chinchwad police - Hindustan Times
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18th-century gold coins worth 1.30 crore seized by Pimpri-Chinchwad police

ByNadeem Inamdar
Mar 10, 2021 04:19 PM IST

According to the police, the value of a single gold coin ranges between ₹60,000 and ₹70,000 each

A large trove of 216 gold coins was seized by the crime branch Unit III of Pimpri-Chinchwad police from the residence of a labourer who had found them during digging work in Chikhli, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The historic gold coins weighing 2,357 grams were found with a broken bronze made of a copper-like metal weighing 525 gram. The seized coins date between 1720 to 1750 AD. (HT REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)
The historic gold coins weighing 2,357 grams were found with a broken bronze made of a copper-like metal weighing 525 gram. The seized coins date between 1720 to 1750 AD. (HT REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

According to the police, the value of a single gold coin ranges between 60,000 and 70,000 each. In other words, the worth of these 216 coins is more than 1.30 crore, said commissioner of police Krishna Prakash.

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“The historic gold coins weighing 2,357 grams were found with a broken bronze made of a copper-like metal weighing 525 gram. The seized coins date between 1720 to 1750 AD.

According to the archaeological department, the gold coins have the seal of ‘Raja Muhammad Shah’ with the name written in Urdu and Arabic. The coins will be handed over to the archaeological department after informing the court. Further, action will be taken based on the report from the archaeological department,” said Prakash.

According to police, during a routine patrolling on March 8, police naik Zameer Babalal Tamboli received a tip-off that Saddam Salar Khan Pathan, a resident of Vithhalnagar slums in Pimpri had illegally kept historical gold coins in his possession.

A team led by police sub-inspector (PSI) Sanjay Nilpatrewar raided Pathan’s house along with jewellery experts including historians. After the genuineness of the coins was ascertained, police seized them as per the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) Section 102 and brought them to the notice of the government.

According to deputy commissioner of police (crime branch) Sudhir Hiremath, during the investigation it was revealed that three to four months ago, Pathan’s father-in-law Mubarak Shaikh and brother-in-law Irfan Shaikh, both residents of Parbhani district had come to Chikhli to work as casual labourers.

“Pathan had brought the relatives to work at a construction site in Chikhli. During digging work for columns, the duo found few coins buried in the ground. They showed the coins to Pathan and went to the same place and dug a mound of earth and searched for gold coins. The diggers had found broken metal bronze and scattered gold coins. Pathan brought home all the valuables and kept them in his illegal possession,” said Hiremath.

Later, a dispute between Shaikh and Pathan broke out which led to information leaking out. The police went to his home with a notice after getting detailed information about the gold coins.

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